The ship is still moving, after all...
Bang!
A spray of water burst forth in the distance.
Hydreigon leapt out of the sea, diving in and out like a dolphin, its body wet while its three heads continuously took the opportunity to breathe.
After resting for a while, it fiercely stared at the sea, as if it saw something, and again plunged into the water.
Baimu saw the distance between the two sides increasing, and couldn't help but shout, "Three—"
"Chirp~"
The large Lugia carrying two girls let out a low howl, signaling him that it would look after Hydreigon well, so he needn't worry too much.
"Alright then."
Only then did he set his mind at ease.
Meanwhile.
Liuqia and Xiaoguang seemed to have had their fill of fun, jumping off the back of the large Lugia to return to the boat for fresh water and rest.
The former asked, "Are you planning to bring Lugia to the Alliance Tournament?"
"How could it? They just intend to safeguard us and maybe finish up with some wind and rain," Baimu shook his head, denying.
Clearly always guarding against a second Tobias appearing, yet becoming a Divine Beast Man himself? How is that acceptable?
It's not like relying solely on Aggron's power to win is unreachable.
Whether it's blowing fish out of the water or fighting evenly.
Only by fully utilizing their strength on the competition field can it be worth the months of tireless training, day and night.
"Will it rain on Ever Grande Island? When?"
Xiaoguang inquired, full of enthusiasm.
Baimu said, "It'll start raining once we arrive, and we'll leave right after."
Though the ones pursuing Lugia Mother and Child were chased away by the previous storm, it doesn't rule out them waiting somewhere for the chance; unpleasant situations should always be avoided in advance.
And without the looming threat of a storm.
The destination can be reached by the afternoon.
He walked to the side of the ship, gazing at the distant horizon.
——
Ever Grande Island.
Located on the easternmost Route 128 of the Hoenn Region.
When Baimu could barely spot that tiny black dot symbolizing the island, Lugia Mother and Child no longer lingered on the sea surface, flying directly towards the clouds.
This prevents nearby ships from noticing them and also conveniently calls forth a drizzle.
With the Alliance Tournament imminent, Ever Grande City's dock is likely to be bustling, so suddenly appearing is surely not good.
Unlike the waiting Lugia Mother and Child.
At this moment, Hydreigon was lying sluggishly inside the cabin.
This guy had gone crazy playing with Little Lugia; though the large Lugia was watching over them, it still swallowed quite a lot of seawater, and was very excited at first, but is now finally starting to wear out.
"You're quite impressive; all that seawater wasn't drunk in vain since somehow you've learned surfing,"
Baimu patted the head in the middle of Hydreigon, feeling deeply moved.
Deserving to be the most gifted in the team, the Pokémon that once learned Dragon Dive the fastest, naturally grasped Surf after playing in the water with Little Lugia for a bit.
Was his earlier "mockery" too effective? Did the competition with Aggron turn into motivation?
Or maybe some other reason.
Can't figure it out.
Hydreigon itself had not realized how it learned surfing until the trainer reminded it.
"Sigh..."
Its expression looked slightly dejected as it lifted its head, letting out a worried noise. Today was indeed quite wild, and it began to worry about affecting the upcoming days' matches.
Baimu pressed down on its head, lightly patting as if knocking on a melon, saying, "What are you afraid of? You guys are even tougher than Tauros; a night's rest will do."
Only then did Hydreigon relax.
Not long after.
"You can see Ever Grande Island now!"
The captain's voice came through the broadcast, followed by Liuqia and Xiaoguang's shouts.
"Come quickly, Baimu!"
"Look! It's Ever Grande City!"
Baimu walked out of the cabin; Ever Grande Island, which was once just a tiny black dot, was now clearly recognizable, revealing the island's only city—Ever Grande City.
As the city closest to the site of the tournament, Ever Grande City is exceptionally bustling.
Enough to be compared with Hoenn's top cities like Kaina City and Shuijing City.
"This year's Ever Grande Conference will likely be even more lively than previous years," Xiaogang remarked with a smile, glancing at the clouds.
The Legendary Pokémon revealing themselves to bring rain.
Even if it doesn't have much to do with the Ever Grande Conference itself, many will see it as an auspice.
Baimu glanced at his phone screen and said, "It's good to have some excitement."
In Shanren's entire regional momentum plan.
The popularity of the Ever Grande Conference is a very important part, even to a certain extent determines the future popularity of the Ore Conference.
The appearance of the Lugia Mother and Child was not in Shanren's plan.
But it will undoubtedly help elevate the conference's popularity.
"Really, meeting you for the second time, I owe you a favor again." He looked up at the clouds where the two Lugia could occasionally be seen, filled with emotions.
Hoo—
A whistle sounded from afar.
Everyone looked over, and a gigantic passenger cruise, more than a hundred times larger, was approaching the harbor from another direction, filled with many people and Pokémon.
"The Saint Flower!"
Xiaogang saw the name on the hull, his voice filled with nostalgia, "Back when Ash Ketchum, Xiaoyao, and I were traveling together, we took this ship, but at that time it was heading to Kaina City for the Grand Festival."
Baimu heard him and recalled the plot against the Saint Flower.
Simply put, it was the story of a former Magma Team member who turned into a thief, claiming to be some notorious phantom thief, but encountered Ash and his group, and was eventually captured.
How pathetic.
Of all people, he had to mess with Ash, it was destined to be a disaster!
As he complained internally, the captain intelligently slowed down the ship's speed.
The tonnage difference between the two ships was too great; let alone overtaking the Saint Flower to enter the harbor first, he didn't even dare to approach, regardless of whether he could withstand the collision, just the act of crashing would be very inauspicious.
Baimu wasn't in a rush either, so he returned to the cabin to rub the belly of the cooing Hydreigon.
The most direct result of the difference in size and age is the frequent and eye-watering occurrence of giant beasts acting coquettishly, luckily Pokémon inherently have some cute elements.
As the cruise approached the harbor.
The white clouds in the sky gradually gathered, blocking the sunlight, and the gentle sea breeze fluttered the hems of everyone's clothing.
While the Lugia wouldn't unleash a fierce storm, it didn't want the rain to end in two or three minutes, so it refrained from using its mighty power and instead gathered rain clouds in the sky.
Preparing for a natural rain.
"Is it starting?"
Liuqia and Xiaoguang eagerly looked up at the sky.
Because this was not just a wind and rain, it also symbolized the friendship between humans and Legendary Pokémon.
Even though they had personally listened to the Oracion, a piece capable of calming the Gods, and faced Arceus, the Source of Life controlling seventeen different attributes, Xiaoguang was inevitably moved by this.
Xiaogang was not to mention, he had known the Lugia Mother and Child far earlier than Baimu, and judging by their reunion, the friendship they had formed was quite solid.
Baimu was silent.
When the cruise docked, and the mechanical gangway connected to the concrete ground.
He stepped onto the land slowly.
Whoosh~
A breeze blew from behind, as if it had been waiting for a long time, gently stabilizing him.
The fine rain dampened his shoulders.
"It's here!"
Liuqia joyfully reached out to catch the raindrops.
Baimu took a deep breath.
『Coo—』
A melodious long cry suddenly came from the vast white sky above.
Continuous, like a ballad.
Soon, what started as a single low cry turned into two, their calls echoing like the ocean currents.
The people on the cruise all looked up, and numerous tourists who had disembarked from the Saint Flower were also drawn by the continuous calls, gazing upward.
Then.
They saw the two Lugia, tumbling and looming in the clouds, and couldn't help but exclaim.
"It's Lugia!"
"Two of them! There's a size difference! Are they related?"
"Look, Mom! It's Lugia! The Legendary Pokémon!"
The dock became a bit noisy, with countless people pulling out their phones trying to capture the stunning scene.
Xiaoguang murmured, "The Lugia..."
"They are singing, and they are bidding farewell." Liuqia answered her confusion, then turned to look at Baimu, who was quietly facing upward, letting the raindrops fall on his face.
Without using the Divine Heart.
But Lugia's intentions were clearly conveyed through the rain.
『I send you a breeze, I send you a rain, and finally, I send you a song—』
『A song of blessing.』